HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – A policy change at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is rubbing students the wrong way. The students say the school’s decision to streamline how it issues parking decals is costing them more money. The students and one parent contacted WHNT NEWS 19. All want to find out why the change happened and if the new policy could be changed again.

It appears the UAHuntsville won’t be making another change to the policy soon. Students told WHNT NEWS 19 the parking decal issue process is done mostly online and campus police are issuing tickets before the decal arrives at the students’ mailbox. The students believe campus police are now writing more tickets.

UAHuntsville Senior Alex Capps said the school’s new way process steals money right out of his pocket. He wants the school to back off.

“The main issue that I have with the whole thing is, in the past, UAHuntsville has sent a formal letter through mail whenever it has changed a policy that has led to a possible increase in payments from the students,” said Capps.

Capps is one of a handful who wrote WHNT NEWS 19’s Venton Blandin about the school’s parking decal policy change.

“This time, all they sent out was an email that actually went to my spam folder,” added Capps.

Capps read the notification email one week ago. He believes most of his peers also missed what he calls the “non-attention grabbing” message. A spokesman for UAHuntsville provided a statement to WHNT NEWS 19:

“The university has conducted quite an extensive communication program beginning in May and leading up to the start of the fall semester regarding changes in our parking policies and procedures. Our police, housing and student affairs departments and the administration worked diligently to ensure that everyone on campus – faculty, staff and students – were kept informed.”

The school’s new parking decal policy sets the UAHuntsville senior on fire.

“It’s burning a hole in my pocket. It is either going to class and waste money there, or wait in line and get my parking decal, so I do not waste money on tickets,” added Capps.

Capps applied for his decal over the weekend. Campus police gave him two tickets this week. He wants to appeal the tickets to keep his hundred dollars in his pocket.

“They said the appeals process begins in October because that is when they can get to it,” added Capps.

Matthew Dailey, a UAHuntsville Freshman, also wanted to talk about the policy.

“What was that experience like,” asked WHNT NEWS 19’s Venton Blandin.

Dailey replied, “It was a huge line. It was terrible trying to wait just to talk to them.”

Capps and Dailey said, if they must give more money to the school, they’d like to see it go toward adding more parking spaces on campus.